Method and System for Water Distribution and Soil Moisture Determination

1. A method of spatially deriving soil moisture at a selected location within an irrigation district to be irrigated and irrigating predetermined areas within the irrigation district, said method comprising: using system identification techniques to produce an algorithm for evapotranspiration based on at least one of the following measured parameters: solar radiation spectrum, wind speed, temperature, humidity, crop factor, soil type, barometric pressure, irrigation historical data, and energy measurement from solar panels at each of a plurality of representative locations; calibrating said algorithm by direct measurement of the moisture in the soil at each of said representative locations by respective soil moisture sensors; using measured parameters of rainfall, soil type, irrigation historical data and crop factor in combination with said algorithm to derive or interpolate soil moisture at said selected location within said irrigation district; and irrigating the predetermined areas of said irrigation district with an irrigation management system based on the derived or interpolated soil moisture for said predetermined areas an availability of irrigation water, and requests for timed irrigation from end users.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said soil type is determined by ground penetrating radar to develop a relationship between the radar signal and a water holding capacity of the soil.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irrigation historical data is based on time and volume of the irrigation to provide saturation data on said soil moisture.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said solar radiation spectrum includes visible light and near-infrared light.

5. The method of claim 1 , comprising said irrigation management system monitoring an irrigation conveyance network from catchments to supply water to areas to be irrigated under demand by said end users.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising said irrigation management system monitoring said soil moisture at said plurality of representative locations and monitors at least one or more of climate forecast, water orders from end users, crop details, water levels, and flow gate opening measurements of said irrigation district.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the availability of irrigation water corresponds to water that is available from at least one at-least-predominantly-free-surface flow-path and is deliverable to soil, the availability of irrigation water includes at least one supply indicator of the water, the at least one supply indicator being an indicator of at least one of a volume of the water, an inflow of the water, and a future inflow of the water.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the algorithm is produced based on the energy measurement from the solar panels at each of the plurality of representative locations; and at least one of the solar panels powers an electromechanical device selected from the group consisting of a water control barrier, a pump, a flow meter and a water level sensor.

9. An apparatus comprising: a soil moisture determination system to spatially derive soil moisture at a selected location within an irrigation district to be irrigated, said s soil moisture determination system comprising: a networked computer system connected to a plurality of weather stations within said irrigation district, wherein the networked computer system is configured and arranged- to: measure a selection from: solar radiation spectrum, wind speed, rainfall, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and energy measurement from solar panels at each of a plurality of representative locations, said networked computer system having data access to crop factor, soil type, and irrigation historical data at said representative locations; use system identification techniques to produce an algorithm for evapotranspiration based on a predetermined selection from the weather station measurements and the data access to crop factor, soil type, and irrigation historical data at said representative locations; calibrate said algorithm by direct measurement of the moisture in the soil at each of said representative locations by respective soil moisture sensors; use measured parameters of rainfall, soil type, irrigation historical data and crop factor in combination with said algorithm to derive or interpolate soil moisture at said selected location within said irrigation district; and an irrigation management system configured to irrigate predetermined areas of said irrigation district based on the derived or interpolated soil moisture for said predetermined areas, an availability of irrigation water, and requests for timed irrigation from end users.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said soil type is determined by ground penetrating radar to develop a relationship between the radar signal and water holding capacity of the soil.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said irrigation historical data is based on time and volume of the irrigation to provide saturation data on said soil moisture.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said solar radiation spectrum includes visible light and near-infrared light.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said irrigation management system is configured to monitor an irrigation conveyance network from catchments to supply water to areas to be irrigated under demand by said end users.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein said irrigation management system is configured to monitor said soil moisture at said plurality of representative locations and monitor at least one or more of climate forecast, water orders from end users, crop details, water levels, and flow gate opening measurements of said irrigation district.

15. The irrigation management system of claim 14 wherein said weather stations are included with a plurality of said flow gates.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein: the networked computer system is configured to perform the energy measurement from the solar panels at each of the plurality of representative locations; and at least one of the solar panels powers an electromechanical device selected from the group consisting of a water control barrier, a pump, a flow meter and a water level sensor.

17. A method of controlling a water distribution system, the system having at least one at-least-predominantly-free-surface flow-path from which water is deliverable to soil, the method comprising: spatially deriving soil moisture at a selected location within an irrigation district to be irrigated comprising: using system identification techniques to produce an algorithm for evapotranspiration based on at least one of the following measured parameters: solar radiation spectrum, wind speed, temperature, humidity, crop factor, soil type, barometric pressure, irrigation historical data, and energy measurement from solar panels at each of a plurality of representative locations; calibrating said algorithm by direct measurement of the moisture in the soil at each of said representative locations by respective soil moisture sensors; using measured parameters of rainfall, soil type, irrigation historical data and crop factor in combination with said algorithm to derive or interpolate soil moisture at said selected location within said irrigation district; and irrigating the predetermined areas of said irrigation district with an irrigation management system using the water based on the derived or interpolated soil moisture for said predetermined areas, an availability of water, and requests for timed irrigation from end users, wherein the availability of water includes at least one supply indicator, the at least one supply indicator being an indicator of at least one of at least one volume of water in the system, an inflow of water to the system, and a future inflow of water to the system.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the irrigating includes causing the water to be delivered to the soil to utilize a capacity of the soil to accept the water in response to at least one of a surplus of the water or in anticipation of a surplus of the water.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the system includes a system portion from which the water is so delivered; and the method includes reducing a volume of the water in the system portion to make storage capacity within the system portion available to capture surplus water.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one supply indicator includes an indicator of at least one of: at least one volume of water in the system upstream of the flow path; an inflow of water to the system upstream of the flow path; and a future inflow of water to the system upstream of the flow path.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the irrigating includes controlling a supply of water to the flow path.